Say Goodbye to Hollywood
by sunnymadden
Summary: Diane goes back to Boston and to Sam on a pursuit of happiness.
1. Chapter 1

_So many faces in and out of my life,_

_Some with last, some will just be now and then._

_Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes,_

_I'm afraid it's time for goodbye again._

Diane Chambers always believed most things would be forever. This was coming from a place deep within the soul of her inner child. When she was a little girl she thought marriage should definitely be forever. For better or for worse, 'til death do they part. Yet, Mummy and Daddy shattered that one with their ugly divorce. So she figured maybe just love could be sustainable. Sumner shattered that one, too.

She did however believe in fate and destiny. That's where Sumer drops off and Sam walks in. She will always believe in her heart of hearts that Sam was going to be in her life. He was going to be there to love her and at least try to catch her when she'd fall. Even after all that happened all those years ago. Whenever she closed her eyes and thought of Sam, a sense of calm and comfort washed over her.

She was going back to Boston. She thought this move to Los Angeles was going to be a defining move for her. She was coming here to make something of her life, to start over. As much as she wanted to marry Sam, as much she wanted to make it work with him, her own self image wouldn't let her be happy with it all. The fact that Sam wasn't an educated man, the fact that her whole life would be revolved around the bar, that all her friends were the misfits who hung out at the bar. Yet, those things that she thought she would never want in her life were the things that made her feel truly happy. There was no challenge, no pretense. It was raw, real, and fantastic. It felt very freeing even though at the time she wouldn't really admit it to herself.

She was back on a plane flying over California. She was going to be free again and this time, allow herself to feel it. She was leaving a town that was nothing but a disappointment but yet she did think the place served a purpose, nonetheless. It did give her what she wanted, a chance to re-evaluate who she was and what she wanted out of life. She decided what she wanted was Cheers and Sam and all the little things in between. For the first time in a long time, she was feeling no doubt about what she was doing.

_Moving on is a chance you take anytime you try to stay together,_

_Say goodbye to Hollywood, say goodbye my baby._


	2. Chapter 2

The flight felt like it took five years to get her there. It was a typical journey; she'd taken that route before. She decided she must have been more restless than she originally thought.

When she got her luggage and stepped outside to get into her cab, the feelings and aromas of Boston greeted her. It was autumn and she had forgotten how lovely the city became in this particular season. The air was as crisp as a MacIntosh apple and the scent of the season itself coupled with the fall colors on the trees made Diane tingle inside with joy. She was already feeling like her old self.

Inside the cab, she wondered down old and failiar streets. It was comforting at first, but then as they got closer and closer to the bar, she got filled with nerves. She tried to ignore them but she found she couldn't. It was taking Diane everything she had not to get out of the cab and run.

"No, Diane, I won't let you be a quitter," she scolded herself. "No not this time!"

"What did you say, Miss?" The cab driver asked turning back to look at her.

"Oh, I'm just a little nervous right now," she answered a little embarrassed. "I'm trying to talk myself through it."

"We're here, you know."

She looked around. She was shocked that it was so fast getting here. She thanked the driver and paid him with a good tip. Stepping out, she found herself feeling like Scarlet O'Hara looking at Tara whenver she arrived home. Here she was at Cheers, the home she would never admit was home.

"Take a deep breath," she told herself, trying coach her body against her emotions. "Take a deep breath. Walk up to it. Walk down the stairs. And then walk through the door. You can do it."

Her body was listening. She certainly was doing it. Diane was proud of herself, she was going to be strong and conquer. She wasn't going to let any potential negativity stand in the way of what she knew she needed to make her happy. There was one thing that wasn't letting her walk through the door. It was locked and thats when she noticed the sign on the door window...

Sorry, we're closed.


	3. Chapter 3

"Miss," Diane snapped out of her thoughts and turned around to see a woman at the top of the steps looking down at her.

"Hello, my name is Diane Chambers," Diane introduces herself as the woman begins walking down the stairs. "I was looking for a man named Sam Malone. Do you know him?"

The woman finally reached Diane and they were looking at each other face to face. Diane found the woman strikingly attractive. She had long reddish-brown hair, big colorful eyes and plump, red lips.

"Well, I'm Rebecca Howe..."

"Nice to meet you," Diane reached out her hand for a shake but Rebecca shoved it away.

"Listen, Lady, I've never met Sam Malone. I know he sold this place to my company and..."

"Your company?" Diane gasped. She couldn't believe it. The one thing Sam loved more than life itself, other than her, and he let go of it.

"Yes," Diane could tell Rebecca was getting annoyed. "I run this place now. We close on Sundays because I save that day for office work. Now if you would be so kind and run along, I've got a lot of work to do."

"Rebecca," Diane tried to continue as Rebecca turned her back and unlocked the door.

"Good day, Diane," Rebecca said going inside. "Please get going."

She had slammed the door in Diane's face before she could get another word in. Diane sighed and walked away. She wasn't going to fight with her. There was so much left yet to be explained. What happened to Sam? Where was he? Is he okay? What about Woody, Norman, Cliff, Carla and Frasier? Are they okay? Are they still employed there?

She guessed it was stupid to wonder. She started to feel stupid for even coming here. How could she ever think Boston, the town that seemed to give her nothing but heartache, could ever make her happy? It was then that she saw an elderly man that strongly resembled Coach. That was when she had an idea; she would pray to Coach.

_Coach, I hope you are okay. It's me, Diane. I love you. I need a favor from you. Please give me a sign. A sign to prove that this journey was not a waste of time. Again, I love you._

When she reached a nearby hotel, she didn't really feel any different. No sense of calm or confidence overwhelmed her. All those New Age books she'd been reading in California were a crock of shit, she decided. She went up to the desk to register when she got her sign.

"Oh and that Lance Manion in room 427..."

That was all she heard. That was all she needed to know. The concierge gave her the room number and the key and she fled. _Thank you, Coach, thank you_. Into the elevator and up to 4th floor, her heart was pounding with a mix of anxiety and joy. She knew she had found Sam. She stepped off and scampered hurriedly down the hall. She turned the doorknob without knocking and got quite the view of a naked Sam laying on the couch now staring vacantly at her. She looked around to find empty vodka bottled and beer cans all over the room.

'What the fuck are you doing here?"


	4. Chapter 4

"I've come back to see you," Diane explains as she closes the door behind her.

"Well," Sam says letting his finger trace a circle around his knee. "You could have saved yourself a trip. I wouldn't have cared if I ever saw your skinny ass again."

"You've been drinking again, I see," she says trying to ignore the unnerving feeling surging through her body.

"Well, look the other way, it's none of your goddamn business. You left remember? What do you care anymore?"

"I only left because you were willing to let me go, Asshole!"

She couldn't help but swear. He was making her mad and just plain upset when she was trying so hard to be cool and calm.

"Hey!"

Sam was trying to get up of the couch. He wasn't very successful, he was too drunk. When he finally did, Diane noticed something about his penis; it was erect. She was confused if he was aroused by her or if some nameless blond bimbo just left the room before she got here. She silently scolded herself for even paying attention to this. He was coming toward her now and probably with every intention of hurting her. He had grabbed her arm and she went into a panic.

"Don't hurt me!"

"Listen, Baby, when was the last time you were hurt, huh?"

With that, he twisted her arm as hard as he could. She let out a yelp but managed to break away from him. He went for her again and yet again she managed to get away. She kept running when she heard something break. She quickly turned around to see that he fell on a Jack Daniel's bottle and was being unresponsive. Startled, she ran to the bathroom, grabbed a towel and flung it over him as she ran to the phone to call 911.

"Hello, I need an ambulance, please."

"What's your name and where are you?"

"Diane Malone. I'm at 5545 Bricker, room number 427. My husband, Sam Malone, has had an accident. He got drunk and fell on a whiskey bottle. I didn't move him."

"Okay, Mrs. Malone, we'll be right over."

"Thank you."

The time seemed to move by so slowly that it drove her nuts. She was elated and relieved when help finally arrived. Even after all that had happened, she still wanted to be there for him. She even accepted a ride in the ambulance with Sam and held his hand the whole time. When they had arrived at St. Luke's Hospital, she had stayed in the Emergency Room waiting area, snacking on potato chips and reading magazines until a doctor informed her that Sam was going to be just fine and she could see him. She didn't hesitate, she ran to the room. Her poor Sam was all stitched up in the chest and sad in the face. He must've been sobered up by now. He took her hand as she reached him and kissed it.

"I'm sorry, Baby."

"It's okay, Sam."


	5. Chapter 5

The night was a long one. Since Diane had tricked the hospital staff into thinking she was Sam's wife, they allowed her to stay in the hospital over night with him. Diane didn't really want to leave him and Sam actually wanted her to stay. He wanted someone to be with him right now and Diane was willing to be that somebody.

Now she was wondering if that was a great idea after all. She never liked hospitals very much. All it meant was sickness and death and all the scary, emotional stuff in between. It was all she could think about while she stared at the clock on the wall. Two fifteen in the morning and she hadn't shut her eyes once. She then looked over at Sam and noticed for the first time in a long time how beautiful he was. It was magnified by the peacefulness in his sleep. She crawled out of her cot and tip toed to give him a kiss on the cheek. He didn't budge and she released a sigh of relief; she didn't want to wake him up.

"Lip kiss," Sam said waking up as Diane jumped. Shoot! She thought she was in the clear.

"What did you say?" Diane asked turning around to face him.

"I would like a lip kiss now," he was fully awake now and smiling at her. She couldn't help but smile back at him and walk back to give him his wish. It wasn't a make out session, but it was a lovely peck. They grabbed each other's hands as they felt so close to each other in that moment.

"Did I hurt you, Sweetheart?" Sam asked in a somber tone.

"A little," she had to admit.

"Show me where."

With that, Diane pulled her sweater sleeve over her arm and saw where he got her with that Indian sunburn earlier. She had just realized he bruised her. A flaming black and blue blob right near the elbow. Then it hit Diane for the first time what Sam really did to her. The tears began to stream down her face and they wouldn't let up. Sam was ready to kill himself over this. He had hurt badly in more ways than one. It made him think of the time he kicked her out of the bar after slapping and hitting each other and remembered how she said that they both sunk as low as two human beings could sink. Nope, he thought to himself, this was as low as a human being could sink.

"Come here, Baby," he said pulling the sheet over so she could lay down next to him. She did so with her hands covering her face. She was so overwhelmed with despair over what happened today that she was almost hiding from herself. Sam kissed her forehead and began rocking her back and forth like she was a baby.

"I'm so sorry I hurt you," he stopped to kiss her again. "I'm so sorry."

And that was how they stayed all night.


	6. Chapter 6

The sun streaming through the hospital window creeped in and woke Diane up. She rolled over to check the clock to find that it was already noon. She let out a gasp. They had been asleep all morning long!

"What's the matter?" Sam asked alarmed. Diane felt bad, her loud gasp startled him out of his sleep.

'Nothing, Honey," she kissed his cheek. "We just slept through morning is all."

"Oh, well that's okay," he says rubbing her back. "I don't like mornings anyway."

She smiled at him. It was so nice to see him sober and kind again. She wondered if he was always mean when he was drunk. Then again, it was her he was mean too. Maybe it was just perferential hate treatment towards her. Lucky Diane!

"Hello, Sleepyhead!"

They were distracted by a nurse that had walked in the room. Diane studied the woman; she looked vaguely familiar. She was very attractive with big, blond hair, blue eyes and a slender figure with generous hips and breasts. She figured she must have been one of Sam's flings before. She mustered up the courage to ask the nurse her name when she was reading Sam's blood pressure.

"Brandee. With two ee's."

Diane couldn't help but burst out laughing at her response. It all came back to her in that moment who she was. She loved to laugh and didn't like Australian films due to subtitles. She noticed Sam and Brandee looking at her with a kind of glare. She felt bad and stifled herself.

"How come everyone thinks my name is so funny?"

"Oh, no. Please don't think it's your name I'm laughing about. I just thought of something funny."

"Oh, really? Please tell. I love to laugh!"

"Oh," Diane went on trying really hard not to laugh. "It's Australian, you wouldn't get it."

"Oh," Brandee says with a pout. "You're right, I wouldn't. Well, signs look good Sam. The doctor will be in shortly to discuss your discharge."

_Shut up, Diane, shut up!_ She thought to herself.

"Great. Thanks, Brandee," Sam says patting her hand. Brandee exits with a smile and a nod to both of them. Diane begins to giggle with Sam giving her a what-the-hell look. Diane could only look at Sam and giggle some more. Sam just gives up wondering and starts to laugh with her.

_Diane,_ Sam thinks to himself. _You are the nuttiest fruitcake ever!_


	7. Chapter 7

The doctor gave Sam a clean bill of health. He suggested a couple of days off from work due to the stitches but he said he wasn't worried about him, he has a good wife to take care of him. They looked at each other and smiled at their little white lie. The doctor gave them best wishes and they were free to go back to the hotel.

Sam was relieved to be out of that hospital while Diane was still just relieved to have him sober again. As they sat on the bench outside to wait for their cab, they held hands. They stayed like that. All through the wait, the ride and back up to the hotel. They just held hands and never said a word. Diane couldn't remember a time in her adult life when she was this quiet. The only times she could be with somebody and not say a word was when she was a little girl sitting on her daddy's lap. She figured maybe it was because she felt he was the only one in the world who didn't judge her. He didn't care that she was intelligent-beyond-her-years, that she had a hard time fitting in with the others, or that she had a facial tic. She was just his little girl. Maybe that's how Sam felt about her, that she was just his girl.

Sam was suprised to see Diane so calm and content. He loved her when she didn't have room to talk, she just let herself be. He realized something that he hadn't admitted to himself for a long time, that he was memerized by her. It didn't matter if she was upset and talkative, or she was silent and serene. All the love for her came rushing back to him.

They got to Diane's room, turned the key, and shut the door. They both dropped their belongings on the floor and hugged each other. It was one of the greatest hugs they've ever shared with anybody. It even topped the one they had before Diane's disasterous trip to Europe with Frasier, but they were so in the moment with each other. Who cared about Frasier? This moment was theirs and theirs alone.

Finally, Sam's lips met Diane's. His tongue melted in her mouth like a piece of candy. She was getting all excited and she jumped up to wrap her legs around him. Sam wasn't wasting anymore time, he walked her into the bedroom without ever missing a beat. Clothes were torn away, animal like noises were coming out of each other and two bodies became one within a matter of minutes. Neither were exhausted, they could keep it up for hours if they wanted too. Diane hadn't had sex since their "wedding" and Sam just plain missed her sex. To Sam it was, dare he admit it? Poetry, sheer poetry.

It eventually did stop and they rolled off each other in satisfaction. Sam stroked Diane's forehead as she began to cry.

"Why are you crying, Sweetheart?"

"I want to get married. For real this time."

"We can. We will."

"I'm not going to leave you."

"I'm not going to let you."


	8. Chapter 8

They only waited as long as it took to get the marriage certificate in the mail. They wasted no time in getting an appointment with city hall and hooking up with a well respected justice of the peace. Diane had called her mother to tell her about the marriage and told her to come on down and bring Boggs. They did need two witnesses and she was the bride's mother and stepfather, after all.

Helen Chambers was delighted to hear that her daughter was finally going to go through with it. Between Sumner, to Sam, to Frasier and back to Sam, she was afraid it wouldn't happen for her daughter. She was always worried about her daughter like that. She was the type who were afraid of their daughters becoming spinsters, cat ladies, and God forbid middle class!

"Don't worry, Helen," Sam reassured her as she stood on Sam's left side, waiting for the ceremony to start. "I may not be wealthy, but I can and I will take care of her."

"Well, that's lovely, Dear," she says wiping her nose. It was a very emotional day for her. "That's all I ever really wanted for her. She's so precious and I just want her to life to be as wonderful as she can make it. I suppose I should have told her this more, myself. I don't know why I just come right out and tell her how much I love her."

"She knows you love her, Helen," he says taking her hand. "She loves you, too."

"Thank you, Sam," Helen says giving his hand a gentle squeeze as they exchange kisses on the cheek.

"How do I look, Boggs?" Diane asked in the other room. She kept smoothing out her dress due to nerves. She was suprised her facial tick hadn't kicked in, yet.

"You look gorgeous," he says taking his face in her hands. "Calm down."

"I've never felt like this, Boggs."

"Oh, don't be embarrassed. All brides feel nervous on their special day."

"No, no. I mean for the first time in my life, I feel like I'm not about to make a big mistake."

"You've grown up, my dear."

"Yeah, you're right, I have," she smiles as they hug each other.

"Are you ready, Honey?" Boggs asks in a sweet tone that would mirror her father's if he were here to walk her down the aisle.

"Yes."

With the signal given, the music kicked in and they began to walk into the room. There was no going back now. She was relieved when she finally got up to Sam and Boggs let her go. Sam and Diane joined hands and hung on to every word of the minister's words. Every now and then, Sam would take a sneak peak at Diane and how the cross that hung from her neck was sitting on her cleavage. He felt like a little boy in church. It was like checking out the hot chick in Sunday school class. Blasphemy, for sure.

"I do," Diane's words snapped him out of his bad boy trance.

"And do you, Samuel Malone take Diane Chambers to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, for richer or poorer, through sickness and through health, 'til death do you part?

"I do."

He hands Sam the ring to put on Diane's finger with vows of love and trust. Diane is also handed the ring to put on Sam's finger while repeating the same vows. They looked up at each other and the happiness on their faces shined through from depth of their souls. They were totally in love and now totally united as they should be for all eternity.


End file.
